Pongola Precinct
How much crime was reported in the Pongola precinct?
The Pongola SAPS precinct recorded 2,732 crimes in Apr 2025–Mar 2026, up 12.1% vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025.
Latest quarter (Apr–Jun 2026): 630 crimes, up 7.1% vs Apr–Jun 2025 (588).
Largest categories
Whole-precinct figures, reported crime only, raw counts. Source: SAPS quarterly crime statistics (saps.gov.za), Apr 2025–Mar 2026.
What this data can't tell you
How we handle these →Where within the precinct. SAPS reports one figure for the whole area; all 8 suburbs share it.
Unreported crime. Only crime reported to police is counted, so real incidence is higher.
Crime per resident. Raw counts, no population adjustment — the trend is the steadier signal.
View 8 suburbs in this precinct
All these suburbs share the same crime statistics because SAPS reports data at precinct level.
Reported crimes
2,732
Apr 2025–Mar 2026 · Full year
vs pre-COVID baseline
↑ 9.2%
above 2018-2019
Updated · SAPS Q1 2026-27 release
What's changing?
Biggest category changes vs Apr 2024–Mar 2025
All theft not mentioned elsewhere dropped significantly (-45) while Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs increased (+115).
Crime trend by year
Dashed: Apr–Jun 2026 only (1 of 4 quarters published) — a partial year, not comparable with the full years before it.
Hollow points with dashed lines indicate years with fewer than 4 quarters of data — those totals may be lower because SAPS has not released every quarter.
Over the past decade, crime here has risen.
The numbers behind that — recent years vs earlier years, averaged to see past a one-year spike
Over ~5 years
↑ 3%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 18/19–20/21
Over ~10 years
↑ 6.8%
avg 23/24–25/26 vs avg 13/14–15/16
Crime breakdown
Top reported offences in 2025-2026
| Crime category | Reported count |
|---|---|
| Serious assault | 527 |
| Common assault | 333 |
| Drug-related crime | 292 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 275 |
| Residential burglary | 180 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 174 |
| Malicious damage | 153 |
| Aggravated robbery | 143 |
| Carjacking | 4 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 37 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 12 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 |
| Bank robbery | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. | |
View full crime breakdown table
| Category | 2025-2026 | 2024-2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious assault | 527 | 452 | +75 |
| Common assault | 333 | 270 | +63 |
| Drug-related crime | 292 | 335 | -43 |
| All theft not mentioned elsewhere | 275 | 320 | -45 |
| Residential burglary | 180 | 203 | -23 |
| Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs | 174 | 59 | +115 |
| Malicious damage | 153 | 124 | +29 |
| Aggravated robbery | 143 | 79 | +64 |
| Carjacking | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Truck hijacking | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Robbery at residential premises | 37 | 9 | +28 |
| Robbery at non-residential premises | 12 | 4 | +8 |
| Robbery of cash in transit | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bank robbery | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Components of aggravated robbery above, already counted in that total. Not additional crimes. SAPS reports these both individually and within the aggravated-robbery figure. | |||
| Commercial crime | 126 | 99 | +27 |
| Rape | 125 | 75 | +50 |
| Stock-theft | 61 | 63 | -2 |
| Business burglary | 60 | 55 | +5 |
| Theft from vehicle | 55 | 47 | +8 |
| Attempted murder | 38 | 38 | 0 |
| Common robbery | 38 | 76 | -38 |
| Culpable homicide | 29 | 27 | +2 |
| Murder | 27 | 26 | +1 |
| Kidnapping | 22 | 8 | +14 |
| Crimen injuria | 20 | 11 | +9 |
| Sexual assault | 13 | 8 | +5 |
| Illegal possession of firearms and ammunition | 9 | 20 | -11 |
| Vehicle theft | 8 | 13 | -5 |
| Attempted sexual offences | 7 | 10 | -3 |
| Shoplifting | 7 | 13 | -6 |
| Public violence | 5 | 1 | +4 |
| Abduction | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Contact sexual offences | 2 | 1 | +1 |
| Arson | 1 | 4 | -3 |
| Neglect and ill-treatment of children | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sexual offences detected as a result of police action | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Compare with nearby areas
Other precincts in Zululand
Sorted by total reported crimes (lowest first)
See Pongola on the national crime map
View this precinct's boundary in context, with a year-by-year timeline back to 2013/14 and every other KwaZulu-Natal precinct around it.
Open Pongola on the crime map →Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about crime in Pongola
Check another area
Data Sources & Notes
- Crime data: SAPS quarterly crime statistics
- SAPS data reflects reported crime only. Crime reporting rates vary by area. How much crime goes unreported? →
- This data is for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for safety or property decisions. Full disclaimer
- Full methodology →